Let’s not kid ourselves – Scanner Sombre is a one-trick pony. It’s a great, memorable trick though, as one could expect from Introversion Software. It’s a shame that the game is so short (ca. 2 hours) and linear and that the story is almost nonexistent. [07/2017, p.67]

Shadows of Valentia is a mediocre tactical game, but a relaxing RPG. Whereas the best Fire Emblem games are like a steak you need to sink your teeth deep in to really appreciate it, Echoes is a popcorn that’s fun from the start but will not sate your hunger. [07/2017, p.66]

At first Slime-sam charmed me with its art direction, then it bought me completely with its engaging, demanding but fair gameplay. [07/2017, p.65]

An engaging and charming tactical RPG with above average visuals and audio and a rich cast of interesting characters. [07/2017, p.64]

The more you play, the better you understand how brilliantly the developers translated a strategic card game to a 3D fighting game. It’s great that this forgotten, absolutely unique Xbox gem now has a chance to reach broader audience. [07/2017, p.63]

An intense and pretty game dragged down by repetitiveness and scarcity of bosses. [07/2017, p.62]

The game tells intriguing stories and leaves room for interpretation but is short, linear and devoid of true tension. [07/2017, p.60]

I appreciate Daedalic’s ambition, but I prefer FTL, which is smaller, simpler and offers gameplay condensed to most interesting interactions. [07/2017, p.59]

The only thing I didn’t like about Flinthook is its uneven difficulty level, but that simply comes with the rougelike elements. Other than that it’s an excellent game. [07/2017, p.58]

When it came to rating the game, I was torn between 7+ and 8. There are some technical issues here, the bosses are disappointingly bland and both enemies and environments could use some more variety. I made my final decision when I played the wonderful song from the game and started to look through the screenshots I captured. I instantly remembered how much fun I had with The Surge’s great combat system and felt the need to start New Game+. And I don’t even consider Dark Souls the best thing since medieval torture devices. [07/2017, p.54]

The only reason people paid attention to this mediocre game was its top-notch marketing which convinced us that Strafe is a worthy heir to the best shooters of the 90s. The truth is that its developers simply misunderstand their inspirations. [07/2017, p.52]

Immortal Redneck requires some stubbornness at the beginning and its repetitiveness might be annoying if you get stuck in one pyramid but once the just one more pyramid syndrome kicked in, I had some decent fun. [07/2017, p.50]

Simply put, Mario Kart Deluxe 8 is an absolute must-have, as it’s the most accessible party/racing game in existence, its 48 tracks are busting with breathtaking ideas and it looks and sounds amazing. [07/2017, p.48]

It’s kinda funny that standard AWD vehicles are much better suited for the tracks introduced in this expansion than Hot Wheels toy cars that come with it. [07/2017, p.47]

An adventure unlike any other I’ve experienced, brimming with creativity of former Lionhead employees. [07/2017, p.46]

How you rate Late Shift depends on how you look at it. It has few arguments as a game, but as an interactive live action movie it’s a very interesting phenomenon and it surprised me with how much the story can vary depending on your choices. [07/2017, p.44]

Unique Burtonesque art direction could not avert my attention from the fact that Little Nightmares is one of the poorest platformers I’ve played in years. [07/2017, p.43]

Looking at charming, detailed hand-drawn environments is pure pleasure and the game’s simple story about priorities, plans and hopes is truly touching. [07/2017, p.42]

A modern take on the cult classic Master of Orion. The drawback is that while it offers almost perfectly executed traditional 4X gameplay, it fails to throw anything fresh on top of it. [07/2017, p.40]

Prey is victorious on almost every front. It’s like a compilation album which lets you listen to the greatest hits by System Shock, Dishonored, Thief and Deus Ex with some smashing original songs as a bonus. A strong contender for the Game of the Year title. [07/2017, p.34]

Faeria falls somewhere between Hearthstone and some more tactical card games like Scrolls or Duelest. I wish its artistic direction was farther from Blizzard’s hit, but at least Belgians managed to evolve gameplay to some degree. A nice touch is that Faeria can be enjoyed without resorting to microtransactions. [06/2017, p.75]

It’s not as pretty as Hearthstone and its lack of responsiveness is sometimes annoying, but Dire Wolf Digital tackled gameplay mechanics expertly, making The Elder Scrolls Legends Hearthstone’s main rival. [06/2017, p.73]

It’s not a title you need to play to stay up to date with gaming trends. It’s a typical representative of the hack’n’slash genre, solid in every aspect but not unique in any. If you enjoy such games, walking the wolves in Midgard will be fun, because the essence of the genre was conveyed proficiently. [06/2017, p.73]

There’s hardly any game in 911 Operator (your main tasks is to connect colorful symbols) but I appreciate its educational value (i.e. you can learn what stroke symptoms are and how to stop heavy bleeding). [06/2017, p.72]

Combat gives you a decent array of options but unfortunately it rarely poses any challenge. The optimization is abysmal and while it does not make the game unplayable, the situation is still unacceptable. Despite that I can recommend this title to everyone who seeks a solid turn-based RPG. The developers put a lot of effort into creating a vivid world and tell a lot of minor stories, many of your decisions matter and in some aspects Expedition: Viking reminds me of classic Fallouts. [06/2017, p.70]

I expected a usual Telltale’s game and that’s exactly what I got – another IP squeezed into a worn stencil. I have to praise it for looking visibly better than Telltale’s previous games though. [06/2017, p.69]

A light, short and pretty Far Cry clone with robots. It seems to me the developers implemented all their basic ideas and then ran out of money, willingness or skills to push the game a bit more, towards true uniqueness. [06/2017, p.68]

It’s an enjoyable game that will win the hearts of children, but it’s far from breathtaking – it’s short and lacks a spark (e.g. a protagonist that is not only cute but also charismatic) that would make it memorable. [06/2017, p.66]

Half of the game is wonderful, the other half is frustrating, as Yooka-Laylee stumbles in some key aspects. The character feels floaty which makes controlling him a bit tricky. Some portions of the world seem designed for a different genre and break the flow that is absolutely crucial to platformers. And then there’s annoying camera. The first Banjo-Kazooie, which is almost 20 years old, is actually more polished than Yooka-Laylee. [06/2017, p.63]

There are two categories of people I would recommend Blaster Master Zero to: fans of the original Blaster Master and those looking for an accessible introduction to Metroidvanias. [06/2017, p.62]

At first I had to force myself to play Has-Been Heroes, but gradually it convinced me that there’s a decent degree of depth under simple gameplay mechanics. [06/2017, p.61]

It frustrated me, it treated me unfairly, but after I got the hang of the rules I simply couldn’t tear myself away from it and kept chasing momentary triumphs among incessant nervous breakdowns. [06/2017, p.60]

An example of a brilliant idea (an escape room that requires two players to communicate via walkie-talkies) ruined by poor execution. [06/2017, p.59]

BoxBoy is the champion among puzzle platformers and the only flaw I can think of is that the game lasts for a couple of hours while it should never end. [06/2017, p.59]

It’s a pretty remaster, but when you look at this game dispassionately, you notice that it is too easy, too short and unnecessarily cluttered with annoying minigames. [06/2017, p.58]

DoW III is gorgeous, but in terms of scale and ambition it falls way behind Total War: Warhammer. Quite boring campaign and a lot of grinding in multiplayer do not help. [06/2017, p.56]

It’s fortunate that this game finally made its way to other platforms, as it’s one of the best entries to the LEGO series, with a cool open world, a fun story full of humor and cultural references, simple but satisfying co-op mode and surprisingly good character animations. [06/2017, p.55]

After you get used to some crudeness related to the fact that the original is 28 years old, you’ll notice that is hasn’t aged that much. What’s more, visuals were revamped so skillfully that The Dragon’s Trap is one of the prettiest games released this year. [06/2017, p.54]

Despite some flaws the incident at Atamipek Lake is definitely worth experiencing, as long as you rank atmosphere and discovering a gloomy mystery above shootouts and car chases. [06/2017, p.53]

Somewhere under all that technical and gameplay-related mess you can catch a glimpse of good old Syberia, but overall the game is so poor that as a fan of the series it made me want to hurt myself. [06/2017, p.52]

If you’ve never come across these titles, you should get acquainted with them, as they come from the era when Disney licensed games were really great. The only flaw I have to point out is that the emulation sometimes stutters. [06/2017, p.51]

The main feature of the add-on – the quest cards – is poorly balanced (some rewards are highly disappointing). Still I recommend Journey to Un’Goro as it manages to breathe some fresh air into meta-game. [06/2017, p.51]

Despite some lack of creativity it’s so good that it’s hard to believe that it’s the first project of a tiny studio. Had brilliant Ori and the Blind Forest not existed, Hollow Knight could have become an official standard for Metroidvanias. [06/2017, p.50]

Despite the fact that the original was released seven years ago, Bayonetta is one of this year’s most important PC games. In its field it’s still unbeatable and the port leaves very little to be desired. [06/2017, p.48]

If you haven’t played the game yet, fish out some cashish from your pocket and fix that serious oversight immediately. The work done by Beamdog on the remaster does not justify the purchase on its own, but Planescape: Torment is still the best RPG game ever created. [06/2017, p.46]

The game hasn’t aged almost at all (especially that its visuals were refreshed) and is still wickedly fun, but charging almost full price for it is absurd. [06/2017, p.44]

Beat Cop’s gameplay foundations are very interesting, but the initial tension fades quickly, the game becomes repetitive and its humor is crude to the point of being embarrassing. [06/2017, p.42]

I found Ghost Warrior 3 to be better as a whole than the quality of its components suggested. Of course the game should’ve been more polished at launch, but I still had surprisingly good time with it thanks to its well-designed open world, a satisfying weapons system and a fairly high degree of freedom in choosing ways to complete missions. [06/2017, p.40]

It’s the best Persona game to date and when you reach end credits after a hundred or so hours, it’s hard not to feel the pang of sorrow when you realize that the huge, multilayered story is over and you have to say goodbye to virtual friends you’ve made. [06/2017, p.34]

If you’ve been waiting for a PvP mode, here it is, although beset by many problems that discouraged me from playing it. [05/2017, p.73]

It would have been a decent game in 2010, but in 2017 it seems completely unnecessary. It’s better than its leprous predecessor, but on the other hand almost everything is. [05/2017, p.72]

If you haven’t played Fast Racing NEO on Wii U (or you have and you want more of the same, but prettier), if you miss F-Zero, if you can’t wait to get your hands on the new Wipeout, don’t think twice about buying Fast RMX. [05/2017, p.71]

It will not stop the global warming, it doesn’t cure cancer or even introduce any new trends in game design, but in almost every level it proves that Zelda is not the only must-have title on Switch. It matches the platform’s nature perfectly. [05/2017, p.70]

Over a dozen hours of spatial environmental puzzles consisting of avoiding patrols and finding paths to objectives. Cyanide failed to push the series forward in any aspect but still managed to deliver a solid stealth game. [05/2017, p.68]

A compilation of really simple minigames (28 in total) that quickly get boring due to lack of depth. [05/2017, p.67]

The old guard sent us a beautiful postcard from the year 1987 and I don’t hesitate to announce that Thimbleweed Park features Gilbert’s best script in at least two decades. [05/2017, p.66]

Despite the narrative touching heavy subjects of death and its meaning, She Remembered Caterpillars is an extremely relaxing game with simple mechanics that even a kid can fathom. [05/2017, p.65]

A typical representative of the indie scene with intriguing visuals and one notable gameplay idea. Simple yet enjoyable. [05/2017, p.64]

If you’re still playing Battlefield 1, you should definitely get They Shall Not Pass, as it offers two outstanding maps (and two decent ones) and truly amazing atmosphere. [05/2017, p.63]

Desync is a niche game that has no chance to appeal to wider audience. Most people will quickly grow tired of its unforgiving difficulty level and return to Doom or Shadow Warrior. Those interested in overcoming their limitations however will enjoy it. [05/2017, p.62]

I was truly shocked by how good Breath of the Wild is. Nintendo decided to wade into the sandbox games genre dominated by western developers and the result is an open world which outrivals all Assassin’s Creeds, Skyrims, The Witchers and Just Causes combined and offers unprecedented degree of interaction. Simply put, Breath of the Wild is the unbelievable new standard for open world games. [05/2017, p.56]

The idea to fuse Tetris with a music game was a good one, but Chime Sharp failed to escape repetitiveness, so it’s not suitable for longer sessions. It’s a good way to stretch your brain every now and then though. [05/2017, p.55]

I’m waiting for Lego Worlds to be thoroughly patched (right now it suffers from some technical issues and the camera is seriously annoying) and I intend to revisit it on regular basis as a perfect family game. [05/2017, p.54]

In terms of story (ambitious and mature) Automata blows every other AAA title from last couple of years out of the water, which evens out the fact that action sequences are no match for Bayonetta. I might have rated the new Zelda 10/10, but Nier will stay in my memory longer. [05/2017, p.50]

Great visuals and a huge map are perfect foundations for a good open world game, but Wildlands falls short of expectations (because of unpleasant driving and flight models among other things) and it’s up to Ubisoft to remedy that. [05/2017, p.46]

The first of four chapters is remarkable, but the next two are worse and the last one is simply pathetic. [05/2017, p.45]

Giga Wrecker’s experimental, low-budget nature is not for everyone, but if you give the game a chance, you might enjoy its great physics-based environmental puzzles and challenging boss fights. [05/2017, p.44]

A low-budget game with mediocre visuals and audio, laughable story and very basic gameplay which somehow turns out to be addictive as hell. [05/2017, p.42]

Andromeda had no chance to outmatch the trilogy – and it didn’t. It’s not as emotional as its predecessors, leaves a lot to be desired in terms of execution and its campaign is unnecessarily bloated. Still the game has that unmistakable Mass Effect atmosphere and had some moments that left me euphoric. [05/2017, p.34]

Fire Emblem Heroes reminded me that the Japanese do not consider smartphones and tablets worthy of real games and treat them as a way to encourage you to buy full-fledged releases for 3DS or Switch. [04/2017, p.75]

PC gamers had to wait six month longer for their version and it was not worth it, because free Pixel Dungeon for Android blows Brut@l out of the water. [04/2017, p.75]

It’s hard to treat Rhombus as anything more than an appetizer before Psychonauts 2, but it does make a good use of VR and lets us reconnect with characters we haven’t seen for over 12 years. [04/2017, p.74]

As it usually goes for Call of Duty DLCs, there’s something new, something old and something dead. In this case we get three varied new maps, a remake of Afghan from Modern Warfare 2, and a zombie mode that in my opinion surpasses the original one. [04/2017, p.73]

A bundle consisting of a terrible, nightmarishly dumb movie, a remake of a rather mediocre 3DS game, and a prologue to Kingdom Hearts III is not the best investment you can imagine. It does show though that Kingdom Hearts and Unreal Engine 4 is a match made in heaven. [04/2017, p.72]

Levels put together from two sets of assets would be awful 30 years ago, chiptune music is worse than in most keygens and sadistic difficulty level is achieved in predictable ways. So does 2 Ninjas 1 Cup introduce anything new to the genre? Yes. Tons of pitiful jokes about defecating. [04/2017, p.71]

Creative Assembly did their best to make Halo Wars 2 accessible without dumbing it down too much, but as it’s a console game at heart, some simplification to the RTS formula was inevitable. Apart from that the PC version is more than decent, as it features a different UI and the game’s pace was tweaked. Besides the single player campaign (13 really good missions) it offers a multiplayer mode, which unfortunately is tainted by a pay-to-win factor. [04/2017, p.70]

Doubtlessly it’s the best written RPG game in years and there are moments when it borders on true brilliance. Fascination, reverie, delight, admiration, fear, joy – I experienced all of it while playing this game. On the other hand the abrupt, mediocre ending felt like a slap in the face, skill checks become meaningless over time, the in-game economy is awful, there are plenty of bugs and overall the game feels like a budget product. [04/2017, p.66]

Despite simple, painfully dull dungeon designs and PS3 era graphics, it’s one of the best Tales games in years. The story is really sound, the combat system is solid and interesting, difficulty levels are properly balanced at last, character development and crafting are addictive and players are introduced into the world at a perfect pace. [04/2017, p.65]

It works well as a distraction or a party title, as long as you don’t expect good graphics, because Drone Hunter VR looks like a mobile game. [04/2017, p.65]

Although Horizon Zero Dawn is a variation on the tested “ubigame” formula and fails to even get close to The Witcher 3 in terms of utilizing the open world, amazing setting makes it a beautiful science fiction fairy tale that manages to stay gripping till the very end. [04/2017, p.62]

The series has barely evolved since Sniper Elite 2 – it got stuck in World War II and one gameplay blueprint. Even the visuals are outdated. Moreover I simply can’t take Karl Fairburne’s exploits seriously as he singlehandedly clears whole villages full of Nazis, takes on tanks and for the third time shoots Hitler in the nuts in the DLC. Pure nonsense. [04/2017, p.60]

The only positive thing I can write about Husk is that its soundtrack is decent. [04/2017, p.58]

Bloody Boobs is a hollow, terribly executed, idiotic, sexist spittle. [04/2017, p.57]

A Normal Lost Phone is neither terrible nor thrilling. It doesn’t offer a truly interesting story, an engaging gameplay or a fresh outlook on the matters it touches. I feel I wouldn’t have missed anything, if I had never played it. [04/2017, p.55]

It’s an enjoyable game for a younger audience or in small doses. If you play it for hours you will get tired of it, because in the long run its gameplay gets repetitive – and that is Doodle God’s biggest flaw. [04/2017, p.55]

Diluvion is neither especially pretty nor polished, it can be frustrating and its low budget is obvious, but despite all that I stayed in the office after hours to play it not because I had to, but because I wanted to. Leisurely exploration of a silent, atmospheric underwater world is surprisingly enjoyable. [04/2017, p.54]

Why would anybody need Fire Emblem Heroes when we’ve got this unique gem? [04/2017, p.53]

Freedom of exploration, complex ecosystem and breathtaking visuals result in an unbelievably strong sense of communing with nature, but horrible UI, some design flaws and common glitches undermine theHunter’s value. Nonetheless it’s a unique game worth checking out. [04/2017, p.52]

An addictive but mindless and unfunny game that I could only recommend as a time killer on mobile devices, because playing it on a PC is a pure waste of time. [04/2017, p.50]

After a series of letdowns Team Ninja returns to form it displayed with Ninja Gaiden Black. Nioh is a variation on the Souls series, and although it is not as intriguing story wise, its gameplay is much more enjoyable. [04/2017, p.46]

The developers wasted a promising maximum security prison setting by resorting to clichés that drag the story down. Do not expect the atmosphere to be on par with The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay either. I wouldn’t call this DLC worthless but it’s a shame that we’re parting with Adam Jensen under such disappointing circumstances. [04/2017, p.45]

The game can be infuriating but I formed a weird attachment to it and retried time after time while mumbling profanities under my breath. [04/2017, p.45]

Complexity of gameplay mechanics and really decent immersion make up for the game’s repetitiveness and very slow pace. Despite its flaws I spent almost 20 hours with Take On Mars and didn’t even notice when all that time flew by. [04/2017, p.43]

During 12 hours I spent with Night in the Woods it grew from an average game to a member of genre’s elite. [04/2017, p.42]

I love the tension that builds when two experienced players face each other and turn their duel into a believable, fascinating spectacle of skill and tactics. For Honor really shines when that happens. Unfortunately great combat system is not enough to make a game great as a whole. For Honor’s single player campaign is a joke, there are connection issues and no dedicated servers, and 4v4 modes often turn into mindless slaughter. [04/2017, p.36]

Realpolitiks manages to be complex and accessible at the same time and can be a great introduction to grand strategy wargames. [03/2017, p.73]

Despite some annoying backtracking Half-Genie Hero is one of those Kickstarter’s children you don’t want to drown after birth. [03/2017, p.72]

It’s an ideal party game worth buying even if you already own SingStar, because We Sing is better in many aspects. [03/2017, p.71]